Chapter 17 #2
“I thought you’d like it,” I said, my confidence returning.
“I do, thank you. This means so much to me.”
She looked like she wanted to cry. I didn’t want her to cry; tonight had been perfect.
“I think I love you,” I blurted out, shocking myself as much as her. I hadn’t even realized I was going to say it until I had. Her eyes widened in shock.
“I love you too,” she said with only the slightest hesitation. Jenn reached for me and I pulled her into my arms, and we kissed each other like our lives depended on it.
This was it. The decision had been made.
I couldn’t go back to my old life. The thought of moving forward with Lucy instead of Jenn felt wrong on every level.
But how could I look my mom in the eye and tell her what I had done?
How I had betrayed Lucy by falling in love with someone else behind her back.
Would she see my father when she looked at me now?
I was pretty sure I didn’t even care. What did that say about me?
“I feel like we should celebrate or something.” She laughed, both of us high on the moment.
Now that I knew I wanted to be with Jenn, and only Jenn, I felt an almost self-destructive need to tell everyone. I was awash with a wave of impulsivity that under normal circumstances, I would have tamped down.
“How about we go to Jeremy’s party? I can introduce you to my friends,” I suggested, throwing caution to the wind. There was no going back now.
“That sounds like a plan.” She grinned.
“All right then, let’s go.” I laughed and started up the car, driving toward the field party and exposing my betrayal to everyone.
Lucy was going to kill me.
That was, if Cliff Herbaugh didn’t get to me first.
A few minutes later, doubt crept back in and I felt myself start to sweat with anxiety. “You sure you want to go to this thing?” It had seemed right in the hazy glow of post-sex euphoria. Now, I wasn’t so sure. Was I letting yet another woman push me into doing something I didn’t want to do?
“I want to meet your friends,” she said emphatically. “The people that are important to you will be important to me.” Her words erased my misgivings. She lifted my hand, kissing the knuckles. “I love you, Rhett.”
“I love you too,” I told her.
My heart was pounding as I parked in the ditch down from the Majors’ cow pasture where he held his parties.
It was pretty tame so far because it was still early.
The sun had only just started to set, and music blasted from some speakers in the beds of a few pickup trucks parked around the field.
There were a couple of kegs, and someone had lit a bonfire.
Jenn looked around, taking it all in like she’d never been to a party before. And maybe she hadn’t. From what she had said about her homelife, it sounded like she wasn’t allowed to do anything fun. I took her hand, confidence flowing through me.
We headed toward Jeremy and Caleb, my two best friends, and their mouths opened in surprise when they saw Jenn and me together.
Caleb seemed curious, but Jeremy’s expression was more than curious.
He seemed mad.
“Hey, guys,” I called out.
“Hey,” Jeremy said, and his eyes were dark as they clung to Jenn in a way that felt like ownership. “I guess you found some better company, huh?”
I glanced at Jenn questioningly. She appeared uncomfortable and seemed to hide behind me.
Jeremy took a step toward us. Was he trying to be threatening? What was up with him? I put an arm around Jenn, staking my claim. “I wanted to introduce Jenn to everyone, but it seems you guys know each other.”
Jeremy lit a joint and handed it to Caleb, his eyes still glued to my girl. “Didn’t realize she was taken already.”
I frowned. “What’s it to you?”
Jenn still hadn’t said anything, but I felt her tremble against me.
Jeremy shrugged, his face still hard. “It’s nothing now.
” But I got the sense his pride had been hurt in some way.
Jeremy had a short fuse. I had seen him beat the shit out of a guy for taking his parking space before, so I wondered if I had to brace myself now.
Because he seemed pissed that Jenn and I were together.
Though I noticed his anger was focused squarely on her.
Soon, Alison, Lucy’s friend and coworker at the daycare, sidled up next to Caleb.
They’d been dating almost as long as Lucy and me.
She was nice enough, but she liked to hang out with the guys more than other girls.
Lucy used to joke that she was only with Caleb to get closer to me, which I thought was nuts.
But seeing how she stared daggers at Jenn, I wondered if Lucy was right.
Alison was definitely not my type. There was no chance in hell I’d date her.
“Hey there, Rhett,” she said, her tone full of heavy accusations as she eyed Jenn. “You’re looking good this evening.”
“Uh, thanks,” I muttered. We stood awkwardly, Alison and Jeremy watching Jenn like they either wanted to jump her or eat her, and Caleb completely oblivious to the mounting tension.
Good manners dictated I should introduce Jenn, but my tongue felt too big in my mouth, my throat too dry. Things were going south already, and I knew now it was a mistake to bring Jenn, but for reasons I hadn’t anticipated.
Agitation began to rise inside me.
“You wanna get a beer?” Alison asked Jenn. It sounded less like an invitation and more an act of aggression. Not waiting for a reply, she dragged Jenn toward the keg.
As soon as they was out of earshot, Caleb shoved me in the shoulder.
“Who is that?” he asked.
“Her name’s Jenn. She’s new in town,” I explained, casting a quick look at Jeremy, who was watching her closely.
Caleb nudged our friend. “You know her or somethin’? You’re acting like Rhett took your matchbox car.”
Jeremy cracked his knuckles and gave me a lazy grin that I knew hid something more sinister. “She comes into the bowling alley sometimes. Thought she was hot so was gonna shoot my shot, but it seems someone got there first.”
Caleb grimaced. “For real dude, what gives? She’s hot and all, but man, you’ve started a shit storm by bringing her here. Everyone will be able to tell you’re screwin’ her, it’s written all over your face, ya dumbfuck. Lucy is gonna have your nuts in a sling once this gets back to her.”
I glanced over at Jenn, who looked back at me and smiled. “It doesn’t really matter … Lucy and I are done.”
There. I said it. And to my friends. I had put it out into the universe, and there was no taking it back.
“Does Lucy know this piece of information? Because I just saw her yesterday looking through bridal catalogs at the coffee shop,” Jeremy remarked hatefully. “Maybe you should leave some chicks for the rest of us, you selfish prick.”
Was he joking? I couldn’t tell.
Caleb shook his head. “You’d better hunker down, my friend, because you know she’ll sic her daddy on you.”
“Shut up, okay? Let me handle it.” I gave them both a stern look as Alison and Jenn came back, both of them carrying Solo cups. I took the one Jenn offered and downed it in one go. She looked taken aback. I felt out of control, and that wasn’t a side of me she was used to seeing.
Jenn held her beer out to me. “Here, you can have mine. I don’t really drink anyway, remember?”
I took it from her, forcing myself to calm down. I was doing the right thing. Because when I thought about Jenn and I together earlier at Jagged Point, I knew there was no going back. I was obsessed with her. I couldn’t stomach the thought of being with anyone else.
“So, uh, Jenn, is it?” I noticed the way Caleb smirked and Jeremy glared.
Jenn, in all her innocence, was totally oblivious. “Yeah, it’s Jenn. Jenn Moore.” I could tell she wanted them to like her, even as she cast nervous glances at Jeremy.
“How long are you planning to stay in Fern River?” Caleb asked.
Jenn gave me the cutest smile. “Oh, I’m not sure. Depends on Rhett, I guess.”
I saw Caleb and Jeremy share a look. Jeremy started laughing, and Caleb joined in. They weren’t even trying to act like they weren’t mocking us. I was getting irritated by how rude they were being.
“I think we should get out of here,” I whispered in her ear, needing to get far away from all this judgment. Jenn nodded, clearly feeling as uncomfortable as I was.
“I had no idea you guys were so close,” Jeremy stated, drinking from the flask he always kept in his pocket.
He could be a mean drunk, and it seemed that was the direction the night was taking.
He leaned toward Jenn, who recoiled at his closeness, and plucked some grass from her hair.
“Looks like you two had a roll in the hay before you got here.”
Jenn’s face turned beet-red, and I glared at my friend.
Alison had been silent since coming back with the beers. She was openly scowling at Jenn, her disgust obvious. She glanced between us, clearly not happy with what she was seeing. I also knew it would take her less than a minute to spread the news to everyone. Alison was the first to spread a rumor.
I put my arm around Jenn’s waist and pulled her close. I knew what everyone was thinking.
Then I saw Alison’s gaze shift to something over my shoulder, her eyes widening. “Uh-oh.”
I looked up and felt everything inside me freeze.
“Hi, Rhett.”
My heart plummeted and I thought I might be sick.
Fury was etched on Lucy’s features with barely controlled violence simmering below the surface. I had seen her like this a couple times, and the outcome was never good.
Jenn, picking up on the shift in vibe immediately, though not understanding it, gave Lucy a tentative smile. “Um, hi?”
Lucy didn’t even look at her. Her eyes were glued to my face.
“Aren’t you going to introduce us, honey?”
Jenn frowned, clearly unnerved. “I’m Jenn. Jenn Moore.”
No, no, no, no …